Shoe attachment for operating organ pedals

ABSTRACT

Block-like members adapted to be attached to the soles of shoes of children and adults of short stature for purposes of lengthening the effective use of their legs to enable them to reach the lower pedals of an organ and actuate the same, said members having means by which they may be detachably secured to the soles of shoes of the person wearing the same and having portions thereof engaging certain elements of the shoes to accurately position the members against accidental removal from the shoes or displacement from the operative position thereof upon the shoes during the use of said members incident to operating the pedals of an organ.

United States Patent [191 Atzinger June 17, 1975 [76] Inventor: Mary T. Atzinger, 932 Wabank St.

Lancaster, Pa. I7603 [22] Filed: Sept. 9, 1974 [2]] Appl. No.: 504,568

Primary Examiner-Alfred R. Guest Attorney, Agent, or FirmC. Hercus Just [57] ABSTRACT Block-like members adapted to be attached to the soles of shoes of children and adults of short stature for purposes of lengthening the effective use of their legs to enable them to reach the lower pedals of an organ and actuate the same, said members having means by which they may be detachably secured to the soles of shoes of the person wearing the same and having portions thereof engaging certain elements of the shoes to accurately position the members against accidental removal from the shoes or displacement from the operative position thereof upon the shoes during the use of said members incident to operating the pedals of an organ.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SHOE ATTACHMENT FOR OPERATING ORGAN PEDALS BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Various types of attachments for shoes have been devised heretofore either for purposes of lengthening the service life of the sole of shoes or protecting the same against undue wear when traversing surfaces such as muddy roads or paths and the like. In regard to such devices however, the attachments comprise supplementary soles having a thickness somewhat similar to the thickness of the soles of shoes to which they are attached. A typical example of a device of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,051,448, to Rasmussen, dated Jan. 28, l9l3.

Another type of device adapted to be attached to the soles of shoes comprises various types of exercising devices which are used by the wearer to preform certain excercises of the feet for various health purposes. Typical examples of this type of device are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 337,l46. to Gluecksmann, dated Mar. 2, 1886, and US. Pat. No. 3,472,508, to Baker et al., dated Oct. 14, I969. However, the structure of such devices does not readily adapt the same for the same use as the present invention and even if attached to shoes for purposes of attempting to operate the pedals of an organ, it does not appear that the prior art devices would be capable of achieving the intended results of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the present invention to provide preferably a pair of similar attachments which are block-like in nature and preferably lightweight, said attachments including means by which they quickly and effectively may be attached to the soles of shoes of children or adults of short stature, said attachements also including means to accurately position the same relative to the soles and lower instep portions of the shoes so as to prevent longitudinal movement of the attachments relative to the shoe when in use incident to operating the pedals of conventional type arranged in the lower portion of an organ, usually adjacent the floor surface upon which the organ is supported.

Another object of the invention is to provide said attachment with a shape that is less than the total length of the shoes to which the same are attached, said attachments preferably being as long as the sole and lower instep surface of the shoe but ending adjacent the forward end of the heel of the shoe, the rearward end of the attachement preferably abutting the forward face of the heel of the shoe and thereby preventing rearward longitudinal movement of the attachement 'relative to the shoe while in use incident to engaging the aforementioned pedals of an organ.

A further object of the invention relative to providing lightweight thereof is to form the attachment preferably from cellular type material, certain synthetic resins, natural cork. or similar lightweight materials which preferably are readily capable of having openings formed therethrough to receive securing straps or other similar members by which the attachments are secured to both the forward and rearward portions of conventional shoes. l i 7 Still another object of the invention is to form said attachments, in plan view, to be similar to the shape of the sole of a shoe to which they are to be attached, in-

eluding providing said attachments with rounded forward ends corresponding to the rounded toe portions of shoes, whereby the use of such attachments will tend to provide the development of a natural habit to engage the lower pedals of an organ whereby, when the natural growth of a childs leg renders the use of the attachments no longer necessary, the natural manipulation of the leg under such circumstances will not have to be changed incident to accommodating the person to the engagement of the lower organ pedals only by their shoes without the attachments being secured thereto.

Details of the foregoing objects and of the invention, as well as other objects thereof, are set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprising a part thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the lower portion of an organ and illustrating the conventional organ pedals thereof and also illustrating exemplary legs of a child engaging the various pedals of said organ with the aid of attachements secured to the child's shoes in accordance with the principals of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation illustrating a conventional shoe and an attachment which embodies the principles of the present invention connected to the shoe in preferred manner.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the connected shoe and attachment as illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the attachment per se.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional elevation of the principal portion of the attachment shown in FIG. 4 as seen on the line 5--S thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated the lower portion of the console of an organ l0 and a number of operating pedals I2 disposed in the lower portion of the console forwardly of the seat 14. For purposes of illustrating the purpose of the present invention, there also is shown in fragmentary manner the lower portions of the legs 16 of a child or youth while seated upon the seat 14. Conventional shoes 18 are worn by the child or youth.

The present invention comprises block-like attachments 20 of appreciable thickness as can be seen from FIGS. l3, wherein the same are at least several times thicker than the vertical dimension of the forward portion of the shoe l8 and a minimum of at least 1%: inches. Said attachments 20 preferably are of relatively light weight and may be formed from suitable configurations of foam like or porous synthetic resins of various types, cork, or other similar lightweight material having reasonable resistance to tendencies to compress the same, whereby pressure exerted by the attachements 20, such as upon the organ pedals 12, will not tend to appreciably indent or distort the shape of the attachments 20. Referring to FIG. 5, it will be seen that the lightweight porous or other type of material 22 is shown in cross section in exemplary manner. For purposes of enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the attachments 20 however, it is preferred that the block of material 22 be provided with a completely enclosing covering 24 which may be attached by cement or other appropriate means to all surfaces of the block of material 22. The covering 24 may comprise sheet like synthetic resins such as the type used in upholstery furniture, table tops or otherwise. Likewise, if desired, the covering may be formed from natural leather of any desired color.

For purposes of conveniently and readily as well as effectively securing the attachments to the shoes 18, relatively simple means are employed such as a forward strap 26 which, preferably, may be a strip of material having limited elasticity. A loop of said material is formed and has a portion extending through a slot 28 which projects through the upper forward portion of the attachment 20 as well illustrated in FIGS. 2-5. The loop of the forward strap 26 extends over the toe portion 30 of the shoe 18. Another slot 32 similar to slot 28 is formed in the upper rearward portion of the attachment 20 for purposes of a rearward band or strap 32, which preferably is formed in a loop and may have limited elasticity, has a portion extending through the slot 32. The upper portion of the strap or band 32 preferably extends around the upper portion of the heel 34 of the body of the shoe 18. Other attaching means for straps 26 and 32 may be used.

The width and height of slots 28 and 32 are closely complementary to the width and thickness of the straps which extend therethrough and thus, afford accurate positioning of the straps with the attachment 20, as well as facilitating the positioning of the attachment accurately upon the sole of a shoe.

The attachments 20 are positioned against the lower surface of the sole 36 of the shoe 18 and the rearward portions of the attachments 20 underlie the lower instep portion 38 of the shoe 18, the rearward end 40 of the attachment 20 abutting the forward face 42 of the heel 44 of the shoe 18. Such contact is essential to prevent rearward movement of the attachment 20 relative to the shoe l8 incident to operating the pedals 12 of the organ. Further, the strap or band 32 will serve to prevent any appreciable forward movement of the attachments 20 relative to the shoes 18 and to insure such function of the strap or band 32, the same is provided with a pair of flexible ribbon-like members 46 which respectively are attached at one end to the opposite side portions of the rearward strap or band 32. The members 46, for example, may comprise wovenshoelace material of adequate width and when said members extend across the upper instep portion of the shoe l8 and are tied in a bow, the effective connection of the attachments 20 to the shoes 18 have been completed.

Particularly from FIG. 4, it will be seen that the forward end 48 of the attachment 20 preferably is rounded and, in plan view, closely resembles the shape of the forward end of the sole 36 of the shoe 18. Further, the width of the member 20 also preferably is substantially equal to that of the sole 36 of the shoe 18, whereby the attachment 20 comprises a reasonably accurate downwardly extending projection of the sole 36 and the light weight of the attachment 20 imposes no unnatural burden upon the manipulation of the legs of the person upon whose shoes the attachments 20 are connected. Also due to the similarity of the shape of the attachments 20 to the soles 36 and, in general, the plan view of the shoes 18, when the legs 16 of a child, for example, grow and become sufficiently long that the use of the attachment 20 no longer is necessary, when the attachments are discarded, habits of the leg manipulations which have become natural when wearing the attachments 20 will not have to be changed for purposes of continued manipulation of the pedals 12 of the organ 10 after the attachments have been discarded. To further enhance this objective, it will be seen from FIGS. 2-5 that the sides and ends of the attachments 20 are tapered downward and inward to a limited extent, whereby the lower surface resembles the area of shoes which normally engage the organ pedals.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a pair of attachments respectively shaped for left and right shoes and adapted to be quickly and effectively connected to conventional shoes of children or adults of short stature whose legs do not have adequate length to conveniently manipulate the pedals 12 of an organ 10. The lightweight nature of the attachments 20 imposes no muscular hardships upon the user of the same and the similar shape of the attachments in plan view to that of the lower portions of the shoes to which they are attached develops habits in the use thereof to engage the lower pedals of an organ, which habits will not have to be changed uner circumstances where the attachments can be discarded due to increased length in the legs of organ operator. Further, the attachments 20 may be formed from relatively inexpensive material and when the attachments are finished by appropriate covering material of an aesthetic nature, they present an attractive appearance which is appealing to the user.

Further, the means by which the attachments are accurately positioned upon the lower surface of the forward and midportions of the soles of a shoe are simple yet effective to prevent any of longitudinal or transverse movements of the attachments relative to the lower surface of the shoes to which they are attached.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in its several preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope of the invention as illustrated and described.

[ claim:

1. A non-walking attachment for shoes for use by children and adults of short stature to lengthen the effective length of their legs to enable them to reach the lower pedals of an organ and actuate the same, said attachment means comprising a substantially noncompressible block-like member of material lighter in weight than leather and of substantially uniform and appreciable thickness much greater than the thickness of the sole of a shoe to which it is attached and in plan view being substantially as wide as the sole of the shoe of the wearer and only as long as the sole of such shoe from the front tip thereof to the forward face of the heel and substantially complementary to the shape of the sole and instep portion of the shoe to which it is to be attached, the forward end of said block-like member also being rounded to correspond to the rounded forward end of the sole of the shoe to which the attachment is to be connected and the sides and ends of said member tapering inward and downward from the upper surface thereof to provide a lower surface adapted to engage individual pedals of an organ without interference with adjacent pedals while the wider and longer upper surface of said block-like member affords firm flat abutment with the shoe of the wearer, thereby to resist twisting movement of said member laterally sidewise relative to such shoe while operating the pedals of an organ, the rearward upper end of said member also being adapted to abut at least part of the forward face of the heel of such shoe to resist rearward movement of said member relative to said shoe, band-like attaching means connected to the forward portion of said member and adapted to extend over the toe of the shoe of the wearer, and additional attaching means adjacent the rear end of said member adapted to engage the rear and instep portions of such shoe to attach said member to such shoe and maintain the rear end of the attachment against said forward face of the heel of the shoe of the wearer.

2. The attachment for shoes according to claim 1 in which said block-like member is formed from porous material of substantially less weight than leather so as to render the same light in weight, said member being covered by finishing sheet-like material which is aesthetically attractive.

3. The attachment for shoes according to claim 1 in which said band-like attaching means and additional attaching means comprise strap-like members extending through slots formed transversely through the upper portion of said block-like members closely below the upper surface of said members and respectively spaced a limited distance inwardly from the forward and rearward ends of said member and said additional attaching means which is engageable with the rear portion of a shoe comprises a loop extending upward and rearward to engage the heel of the shoe of the wearer and having connected respectively to opposite sides thereof separate strap-like members which are adapted to extend across the upper instep portion of said shoe and be tied to maintain the rear portion of the loop of said additional attaching means adjacent the upper portion of the heel of the body of the shoe to which the attachment is to be connected and thereby insure maintenance of the rearward end of said blocklike member against the forward face of the heel of the shoe to which said member is to be connected.

4. The attachment for shoes according to claim 3 in which the cross-sectional dimensions of said slots are closely complementary to the width and thickness of said straps to effect accurate positioning of said straps therein and facilitate the positioning of said member upon the sole of the shoe of the wearer. 

1. A non-walking attachment for shoes for use by children and adults of short stature to lengthen the effective length of their legs to enable them to reach the lower pedals of an organ and actuate the same, said attachment means comprising a substantially non-compressible block-like member of material lighter in weight than leather and of substantially uniform and appreciable thickness much greater than the thickness of the sole of a shoe to which it is attached and in plan view being substantially as wide as the sole of the shoe of the wearer and only as long as the sole of such shoe from the front tip thereof to the forward face of the heel and substantially complementary to the shape of the sole and instep portion of the shoe to which it is to be attached, the forward end of said block-like member also being rounded to correspond to the rounded forward end of the sole of the shoe to which the attachment is to be connected and the sides and ends of said member tapering inward and downward from the upper surface thereof to provide a lower surface adapted to engage individual pedals of an organ without interference with adjacent pedals while the wider and longer upper surface of said block-like member affords firm flat abutment with the shoe of the wearer, thereby to resist twisting movement of said member laterally sidewise relative to such shoe while operating the pedals of an organ, the rearward upper end of said member also being adapted to abut at least part of the forward face of the heel of such shoe to resist rearward movement of said member relative to said shoe, band-like attaching means connected to the forward portion of said member and adapted to extend over the toe of the shoe of the wearer, and additional attaching means adjacent the rear end of said member adapted to engage the rear and instep portions of such shoe to attach said member to such shoe and maintain the rear end of the attachment against said forward face of the heel of the shoe of the wearer.
 2. The attachment for shoes according to claim 1 in which said block-like member is formed from porous material of substantially less weight than leather so as to render the same light in weight, said member being covered by finishing sheet-like material which is aesthetically attractive.
 3. The attachment for shoes according to claim 1 in which said band-like attaching means and additional attaching means comprise strap-like members extending through slots formed transversely through the upper portion of said block-like members closely below the upper surface of said members and respectively spaced a limited Distance inwardly from the forward and rearward ends of said member and said additional attaching means which is engageable with the rear portion of a shoe comprises a loop extending upward and rearward to engage the heel of the shoe of the wearer and having connected respectively to opposite sides thereof separate strap-like members which are adapted to extend across the upper instep portion of said shoe and be tied to maintain the rear portion of the loop of said additional attaching means adjacent the upper portion of the heel of the body of the shoe to which the attachment is to be connected and thereby insure maintenance of the rearward end of said blocklike member against the forward face of the heel of the shoe to which said member is to be connected.
 4. The attachment for shoes according to claim 3 in which the cross-sectional dimensions of said slots are closely complementary to the width and thickness of said straps to effect accurate positioning of said straps therein and facilitate the positioning of said member upon the sole of the shoe of the wearer. 